**Saiki: Her indomitable spirit**
Interviewer: Hiroo Nishizawa
Saiki, the lead vocalist of Band-Maid, captivates their masters and princesses at servings with her diverse expressiveness.
Having written lyrics as well as Kobato, she feels more strongly attached to their latest album *Epic Narratives* than ever before.
We talked with her about the artwork where she expressed that, her change of mind after the COVID pandemic, and her vocals.
― Saiki-san, in which song on *Epic Narratives* did you challenge yourself most?
Saiki: It’s *Shambles*.
At the recording, I adopted a way of singing I hadn’t done before.
That’s edge voice, which I used a lot in [the down section](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lf0mQOiu8J8&t=150).
— What kind of singing is edge voice?
Saiki: You close your throat and [get your voice edgy](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VrCZlAoPqrw).
There’s a scene in [the film *Juon*](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UiMRPvfVChc&t=27) where you can hear “Aahh”, right?
It’s like that.
I adopted it because I wanted to completely change the atmosphere of the down section and make it a little more mature.
— How often do you usually do your vocal training?
Saiki: I still take lessons twice a month.
I’ve been coached by [Ayako Nakanomori-san](/r/BandMaid/comments/v6ylyl/comment/ibmb2at/?context=3) since the recording of *Alone*.
It’s partly to keep my body and throat in good condition, and it’s also to change my approach to singing.
I keep training hard so that old Band-Maid songs as well as new ones will be improved and sound coolest when our masters and princesses hear them live at servings.
— Which song do you feel attached to most on this album?
Saiki: Actually I’m so strongly attached to all the songs that I can hardly choose, but if I had to, my choice would be the four songs I wrote lyrics to on my own ([*Magie*](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0OxjDTf_2A), [*Forbidden tale*](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EiknA3mWivA), [*Letters to you*](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T7lS8NkIapQ), and [*TAMAYA!*](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vvpswsFRawM)).
I’ve listened to them so many times that they are really stuck in my memory.
The album took us three and a half years to complete, so this sounds cheesy but it’s a work I’ve put my heart and soul into.
I’m really attached to all the songs.
— You were also more committed to [the artwork](/r/BandMaid/comments/1el7dfm/news_20240925_release_bandmaid_new_album_epic/) than before, weren’t you?
Saiki: [The EP *Unleash*](/r/BandMaid/comments/wpol03/unleash_cover_artwork/) (2022) was a point of change.
I was hit hard and pretty depressed in the COVID pandemic, but there was a moment when I realized again we should send our music to the people who were waiting for it.
I vowed to never give up music and started moving forward again.
The idea of the cover artwork wouldn’t have come out without that experience.
I wanted to establish the Band-Maid world and the Band-Maid genre of music based on that experience.
The songs on this album are all attractive, so I designed the town like a theme park where each attraction stands for each song.
— Looking back on your activities so far, which song was a turning point for you, Saiki-san?
Saiki: It’s the double A-side single [*Daydreaming/Choose me*](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RCaeUkrItyY&list=OLAK5uy_kjTPTEQzffwFdQZQL1M_wyf04XuCTSIHA) (2017).
[I had a polyp removed](/r/BandMaid/comments/6oebxl/important_notice_and_apology_from_bandmaid_saiki/) around that time, and I recorded the single after the surgery.
Before the surgery, it was a race against time for me to record while I could sing, so honestly I was frustrated every time.
I got a new throat after the surgery, and singing the single made me think I would start my life as a vocalist again from there.
I was glad I was able to record it for hours and completed it.
— I guess you were very anxious about your polyp removal surgery, weren’t you?
Saiki: Yes, I was.
I talked with several people who had undergone the surgery.
There’s someone whose voice remained the same, but there’s also someone whose voice changed after the polyp removal and it took more than a year to recover it.
I was anxious, but I was introduced to a good doctor.
When I listen to *Daydreaming/Choose me* again, it feels like my voice was too young, but I think that’s one of its appeals, and it was fun to develop my voice from there.
— Saiki-san, once again, what does Band-Maid mean to you?
Saiki: Band-Maid is my lifework, and I can’t imagine my life without it.
I hope this feeling will be contageous and more and more people who thankfully listen to our music will feel the same way.
— All of you members have answered the same way, which makes me feel your strong affection to Band-Maid.
Saiki: It’s truly indispensable to me.
I feel the same way about each of my bandmates and the people who support us Band-Maid.
I literally want to keep doing this until the end of my life.
— Please tell us what challenges you would like to take on and your ambitions with Band-Maid in the future.
Saiki: I had a hard time during the COVID pandemic, but I decided once again to keep my head up and keep moving forward.
We Band-Maid celebrated our 10th anniversary, entered [the new chapter](/r/BandMaid/comments/184af30/in_2024_bandmaid_will_open_a_new_chapter/), went on [the Hall Tour](/r/BandMaid/comments/1bjc2c5/bandmaid_hall_tour_2024/) that had been canceled due to the COVID pandemic, and in November we will play the return match against [Zepp Tour](/r/BandMaid/comments/1e2zyqp/new_album_announcement_spinoff_okyuji_zepp_tour/).
So, next, I definitely want to perform at Budokan, which was the most frustrating [cancellation](/r/BandMaid/comments/kvtcvf/budokan_okyuji_has_been_cancelled/).
In addition, there are still a lot of places overseas we haven’t been to.
We receive enthusiastic messages about when we’ll be able to come there, so I hope we will go and see those people more and more.
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#bandmaid #saiki
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